Kenshin: That was very cruel of you, Luna-dono.
AN: I know, I know, I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!
Kenshin: You are quite fortunate I have already taken an oath against killing. Your readers, on the other hand …
AN: AHHHHHH! *hides behind a potted plant*
Misao: Yeah, and what's with making me the damsel-in-distress all the time? And at GUNPOINT too! AGAIN!
AN: I'm sorry, I'm sorry! You'll get to kick some serious butt all on your own soon enough, Misao-chan, I promise!
Misao: Seriously though, did I just die in the last chapter? Some of your readers seem to think so.
AN: Well, let's see, shall we? Gee, this chapter's a shorty compared to the other ones, but I think it ends in the right place. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin!
Last revised: 1/16/13
Chapter Ten
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Misao
It's funny, the things that flash through your mind the moment you're about to die.
First thought …
SERIOUSLY? This is how it's gonna end? I get taken out by some scrawny little insect-faced crook and his toy pistol? Ugh, PATHETIC!
Next thought …
Oh crap, Aoshi-sama's gonna kill me.
Next thought …
Oh wait, I'll already be dead.
Next thought …
No! No, no, no! I can't let the last thing I ever said to Aoshi be that I that I hated him!
Next thought …
I'm so sorry, Aoshi. Please forgive me. I …
And then something slams into me hard and fast, knocking me to the ground as thunder explodes through my skull and plunges me into the darkness …
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Kenshin
"Haaaaaaaaah!"
With a roar of fury, I swing my sakabato up over my head and smash it down onto Chong Zhou's skull. A short gurgling cry cuts off as he crumbles to the floor and I swiftly kick his pistol out of the way.
I turn back to my friends, seized with panic and desperation. Please … dear Kami, don't let them be …
I feel the sakabato drop from my hand, clanging to the floor as my eyes take in the bloody scene before me.
No …
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Misao
I can't breathe.
I can't see.
Well, no duh, genius. You're dead.
Blood. That's the first thing I'm aware of. That warm, sticky liquid soaking rapidly through my clothes. It starts from the center of my chest and spreads out, overtaking my shoulders and stomach. The rank odor of it makes me want to gag. This much blood … I know I have to be dead.
The next thing I'm aware of is something solid pressing against me and all around me. Holding me. Restraining me. Like someone's wrapped me close in a strong embrace. I breathe in, and beyond the stench of blood my nose detects a sweetly familiar human scent. Like fresh mountain air and incense.
Aoshi-sama.
Hm. Well this is a very nice dying dream.
My eyes flutter open, revealing a midnight sky glittering with a sea of stars. I shift slightly, stunned by the unmistakable feel of human arms wrapped tightly about my body. I raise my head, curious, and the first thing I glimpse is a gloss of jet black hair. My whole body floods with warmth.
Huh. So they sent me an angel in the form of Aoshi-sama to carry me off to Heaven. That was real nice of them.
I smile and snuggle closer into the angel's arms. I never had this in life. I might as well enjoy it now that I'm dead. I whine slightly when I feel even more blood spill across my chest. Crap. I'm still bleeding. I'm getting it all over the angel.
But then the angel makes a noise. A long, low groan. It's such a distressing sound, almost as if the angel is in pain. The noise rattles deeply through his chest as he begins to convulse, as if gasping for breath.
"Aoshi …?"
Two ice blue eyes meet mine, hazy with pain. And then those eyes clench shut, his teeth gritted as the he tries to lift himself up off of me.
Blood. It's leaking out from the angel's chest. Before I can open my mouth to cry out, he has fallen onto his back beside me. For a moment I just stay lay there frozen, my mind numbed in shock. And then my whole body begins to quiver as I stare down at the deep crimson stains that have soaked through my clothes.
It's not my blood.
I barely register the frantic yelling somewhere in the background. I leap to my feet, gasping in horror to see Aoshi lying on the ground, unmoving, with blood spilling out from his chest.
NO.
No … no, no, no, NO!
The scream rips from my throat.
"AOSHI-SAMA!"
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Kenshin
Calm … calm … stay calm …
I keep chanting this to myself over and over again as I rush across the deck to aid my friends. Misao has collapsed to her knees beside Aoshi, his blood smeared all over her chest and arms. "No! No, no! Please, Aoshi-sama! Wake up! Wake up! PLEASE!"
"Misao-dono." I move to push the girl out of the way. She screams and fights back at me, screaming, "No! No! No!"
"Misao-dono!" I yell louder, grabbing her arms as she continues to pound at me with her fists. "I need to check his wounds. Please! Calm down!"
Her screams die down into whimpers as her body goes limp in my arms. I squeeze her once and gently move her aside. "Aoshi-sama …" she continues to sob.
My breath hitches in my throat as I take in the full extent of Aoshi's wounds. This is serious … I need to get him to Megumi-dono's clinic. Now.
Swiftly yet carefully I reach around and lift the larger man into my arms. His head hangs lifelessly and he makes no sound as I hoist him up. Hold on, Aoshi. Hold on.
"Holy - !" I hear Chief Uramura exclaim as he leaps up onto the deck.
"Uramura! Aoshi's been shot! I'm taking him to the clinic. You stay here and take care of Chong Zhou and the others."
"H-hai!"
I race down the ramp at full god-speed, desperate to get Aoshi to the clinic as swiftly as possible. I glance to my right. A blur of indigo hair and streaks of crimson keeps even pace with me, flooding my ears with the sounds of her desperate, heaving pants.
"Misao-dono! Go back! You stay back there with Chief Uramura."
"No!" she rasps weakly. "Please, Himura, I …"
She stumbles just once, slowing just a degree as her eyes squeeze shut, her gritted teeth barely holding back the sound of an anguished whine.
"Misao-dono …"
I hear her suck in a tortured breath, and then the cadence of her footfalls accelerates furiously. I sigh softly in acquiescence. I fix my eyes on the road ahead of us and increase my speed tenfold.
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"Oh my -!"
I try not to give in to my ever-mounting dread as my eyes register Megumi-dono's aghast expression. The usually unflappable doctor has slapped a hand over her mouth, the blood draining from her face when she catches sight of bleeding man in my arms.
She regains herself quickly and rushes toward the back room, frantically gesturing for Sanosuke and me to follow.
"Lay him here, Ken-san," she orders, pointing. Sanosuke immediately comes up behind me as I carefully lay the unresponsive Aoshi onto the cot.
"What happened, Ken-san?" Megumi barks as she examines his wounds.
"He was shot," I explain through clenched teeth. "Right through the chest. There."
Megumi curses under her breath. "Sanosuke, help me undress him. Quick! Ken-san …" She turns to me. "I need space to work, would you …"
And then her gaze shifts past me and her mouth falls open in shock. "Misao! Holy Kami, what's wrong with her? Is she hurt too?"
Misao … My stomach twists in alarm as I turn to behold the ghastly sight standing there in the doorway. The poor girl is covered in blood, quivering uncontrollably, her aquamarine eyes wide and unseeing as they stare through the room.
"Aoshi …" she gasps. Her face is blanched white, her lips turned a frightful shade of blue.
I move quickly, grasp Misao gently by the shoulders. "Come, Misao-dono. You should not see this. Come with me, outside. Please."
She does not move. She does not respond. I can't even tell if she can hear me. Swallowing back my fear, I push against her gently. Inch by inch we make it back out into foyer and I slide the door closed behind us.
"Misao …" I whisper, taking in her graying pallor, her vacant gaze. I stroke a hand across her cheek and her expression does not change. Great Kami. This girl's dangerously on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Misao-dono, can you hear me? Please, Misao-dono."
For a few agonizing moments she does not respond. And then slowly, dreadfully, a moan begins to build from the back of her throat. It builds and builds until all at once her shell-shocked mask crumbles into nothing.
I catch her as she falls to her knees, her mouth stretched wide in an agonized wail. I hold her tight, fighting back tears of my own as her tiny body succumbs to the wrenching cries of anguish that I know all too well.
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Chief Uramura
"So you're finally awake," I say, staring down disgustedly upon the imprisoned lowlife slumped against the wall of his cell. The left side of his head is a swollen purple mess where Himura had justly smashed his sakabato into his skull.
"Heh …" the man sneers, his voice thin and raspy. "You have no right to keep me here. I am an honest businessman."
"I know what you are, you monster. I don't understand how you can even live with yourself. Kidnapping innocent young girls to be shipped off as prostitutes."
He sniffs. "That's absurd. You have nothing on me."
"Oh. Then I suppose those piles of documents you had locked up in your cabin won't reveal anything incriminating."
Chong Zhou's mouth clamps shut, his face turning noticeably pale. I fight the urge to smirk at this small victory.
Then the man's eyes narrow threateningly. "Do you really think you can accomplish anything through this foolish crusade? Do you think anyone with any real authority gives two hoots about what we do?"
"That's something I'm willing to test for myself," I say, turning toward the door.
"Don't you realize what a marvelous operation we have going here? Don't you understand what a tremendous service these girls are doing for their country?"
I swing around. "What are you talking about, you fiend?"
"This is simply the wave of the future, my friend. The flesh trade has proven to be one of this country's most lucrative international enterprises. We've had it all wrong for centuries. Japan's most valuable exports are not silk or rice. They're beautiful young girls who are willing to do anything to save their families and themselves from starvation. That's where the money is. These girls understand that. They realize the nobility of their sacrifice. Their work is an absolute boon for the Japanese economy."
"You worthless piece of scum!" I grasp the hilt of my sword, battling with all my might against the urge to drive this blade through that lowlife's sneering face."I don't care what it takes. I don't care how far I have to go or what it may cost me. I won't rest until you are put right where you belong – rotting away in some prison cell for the rest of your life!"
My cry resounds through the walls of the small cell. Chong Zhou just stares at me mutely, shrunken away from the threat of my sword. And then he sneers at me. "You are a fool. You can use whatever big words you'd like, but you cannot touch me."
I wrench myself toward the door, unable to face that scumbag for another second. "We'll see about that, now won't we."
"I think not. For you see, I am a citizen of Singapore. You and your little police force have zero jurisdiction over me."
I freeze in mid-step, hit fully by the implications of his words. No … if what he is saying is true then …
"The most you can do is send me back to Singapore," he scoffs. "You'll have no choice but to let my own people handle this matter."
I clench my fist and bite back a yell of frustration. This filthy crook! He knows full well they wouldn't do anything to him. He'll be back on the streets within minutes, and then he'll go right back to selling more girls to the brothels!
I take in a breath, steady myself. With my back still to Chong Zhou, I give him a dark word of warning.
"You will get what you deserve, Chong Zhou. One way or the other, you will pay for what you've done. If not in this life, then in the next. And I'd say the latter sentence will be far worse for you. Think on that."
I close the door behind me, leaving him alone in the darkness.
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"Can you tell me your name?"
The young girl shifts nervously on the chair, her eyes fixed on the floor and her fragile arms wrapped tightly about her shoulders as if trying to hide herself. Beside her, the girl Ami sits quietly with a tight expression on her face. Her cheeks still bear the marks of tears, but she has calmed down enough to try to help me break through to her traumatized companion.
"It's alright, Rei," Ami whispers, patting the girl reassuringly on the knee. "You can trust this man. He won't hurt us."
The girl shakes her head in response, shrinking even more into herself, hiding her eyes behind her long dark hair.
I lean closer, crouched down so that I am on the same level as her. I try to meet her eyes, but she refuses to look at me.
"Rei …" I say gently. "Don't be scared. I'm here to help you. Where do you come from, Rei? Is your family in Tokyo?"
The word "family" sparks a reaction in the girl. Her eyes go wide and she lifts her head timidly. "Wh-where is Chong-Zhou?" she gasps in a tremulous voice.
"We have him. He is in jail. He can't hurt you anymore."
"Jail?" The girl's face blanches in horror. "No … no, why? Why is he in jail?"
"Shhhhh …" I hush, startled by the girl's reaction. "Rei, calm down. I don't know what Chong Zhou has told you, but …
"You have to let him go!" the girl shrieks. "He hasn't done anything wrong. Please, let us go. Take me back to him. Please."
"Rei! Don't you understand what Chong Zhou was planning to do to you? He was taking you to Singapore …"
"Yes!"she cries. "He's going to give me a job in a silk shop. He's going to let me make money to help my family …"
"No, Rei," Ami interjects. "That is not true."
I turn to Ami, astonished by the sharp glint that flashes through her formerly gentle eyes.
"Chong Zhou has lied to you," she continues. "He lied to me too, two years ago. He doesn't want to give you a job in a silk shop, Rei. He wants to sell you to Singapore to work as a prostitute!"
The poor girl freezes in the face of these words, her eyes going wide in shock. The look on her face is devastating. Her gaze shifts between focused and unfocused, her head shaking slowly as if unable to comprehend such a thing.
"No …" she whispers. "No, that can't be true. Chong Zhou promised us … he wouldn't …"
"He lied to my family. They never would have let me go if they knew. But we are safe now, Rei. We can be free from Chong Zhou and his henchmen. We can both go home. To our families."
The girl bows her head, clutching her temples and trembling. Carefully, I reach forward and place a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "I want to take you back to your family, Rei. Just tell me where they are and I will take you home."
The girl shudders. "No …"
My eyes widen. "No?"
"No." The girl lifts her head slowly. Tears slide quietly down her cheeks. "No, I can't. I can't go back."
"Rei …"
"My family needs me to work. I have ten brothers and sisters and they're all starving. We already lost two of my brothers last year. One was just a baby …" Her eyes squeeze shut and she whimpers pitifully. "I don't care what they want to do to me. I don't care if what you're saying is true. My family needs me. How can I betray them?"
"They wouldn't want you to do this!" I cry, shaking my head in disbelief. "They wouldn't want you to sell yourself as a prostitute for them!"
"And what would happen to them if I stay? We are starving! If I do nothing, then we will all die together. All of us. My choice, then, is to perish alongside my brothers and sisters, or to stay alive and do this work so that we can all survive?"
My heart sinks at her words. Beside her, Ami has turned her face away.
"Please …" the girl whimpers, her eyes strangely dead. "Please let me go. Let me go to Singapore with Chong Zhou …"
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Misao
I can't move …
I can't breathe …
I can't think …
I can't do anything except just sit here alone in this clinic foyer. Waiting.
The hours have passed into a black eternity. If I try to move or do anything else … I know I'm going to snap.
I feel so hollow inside. Like an empty shell. My tears of grief have long since run dry. My heart pounds weakly against my chest and air shallowly enters and leaves my lungs. Alive. I'm alive. By some twisted curse of fate.
But I've never felt so dead. And I really wish I was. I would give anything for that bullet to have taken me instead …
I swallow another sob and drop my face into my hands. Don't … don't break down … Megumi-san's taking care of him … he might still …
I rise to my feet and begin to pace about the room, desperate to drive away the dark pit of despair that threatens to drag me back down again. Per Himura's request, I'd changed out of my clothes, washed myself off in the small bath at the back of the clinic and changed into one of the spare patients' yukatas. That's what Himura is doing now. Washing the marks of blood off of his own clothes.
The blood.
I begin to quiver as that red-stained vision floods my mind.
The blood.
The blood.
Aoshi's blood.
I fight to block out the memory of those crimson-soaked garments that I had frantically ripped off of my body just hours ago. I'd cried out, weeping, at the sight of the blood still clinging to my skin, that swirled about me in the bath as I desperately scrubbed myself raw …
I smash my fist into the wall, biting back another howl of frustration. It's all my fault. This is all my stupid, stupid fault! Aoshi got shot because of me. He could be dying now because of me!
I swing around the instant my ears register the sound of a door sliding open behind me.
Megumi and Sanosuke step out of the room and quietly slide the door shut behind them. My heart plummets to the floor as I take in their grim expressions.
No.
Oh Kami, please NO!
"Well, he's certainly lucky," Megumi says as she begins to unwrap her hair. "If that bullet had struck him just an inch to the left, then it would have severed his superior vena cava, which undoubtedly would have caused him to …"
She stops when Sanosuke gives her a strange look and she regains herself, clearing her throat.
"Misao," she says gently, turning to me. "He'll be alright. He's lost some blood, but … Aoshi will make a full recovery."
He's alright …
The flood of relief is so sudden, so crippling that I collapse heavily against the wall. I blink back tears, overwhelmed with sweet gratitude. "Oh …" I manage to gasp. "Oh, thank Kami …"
Sanosuke smiles and comes forward to put a hand on my shoulder. "He's awake now, Weasel. Do you want to see him?"
He's awake. My whole body begins to tremble. "Yes … yes, please let me see him."
He nods and gestures toward the door. Megumi steps aside, allowing me to pass. I move forward step by step, my heart hammering in my throat. My hands are shaking as I reach forward.
I slide the door open slowly and step inside.
The light falls upon a solitary figure lain across the cot. A chest rises and falls beneath the thin blanket. Each breath sounds shallow and slightly labored. A head turns towards me and two ice blue eyes fix themselves on my face.
"Misao …"
I numbly pull the door closed behind me. My feet move on forward their own accord.
"Hai …" I breathe. "Hai, Aoshi-sama …"
My knees are quaking beneath me as I crouch down beside him. His face is so pale. His eyes are somewhat clouded. But his jaw is set, his gaze determined.
"You are not hurt?" he says softly. His tone carries just the faintest trace of concern.
"N-n-no …" I stammer.
And that's when I break down.
I fall to my knees and sob wretchedly before him, my heart ripping itself apart anew. "Gomenasai!" I weep through tear-soaked gasps. "Gomenasai, Aoshi. Gomenasai!"
"Misao …" I can barely make out Aoshi's face through the blur of my tears. "Misao, do not cry."
"I … I cannot help it!" I choke out. "I … I …"
The words, the tears, spill out of me.
"I love you, Aoshi."